Naruto's head slipped from his hand for the umpteenth time as his eyes drooped. Having carried the girls all the way back to Hargeon Town in the middle of the night, Naruto had stuck around for a while as he waited for anyone to recognise the triplets. Unfortunately, they seemed to be new to this hospital and no records were found of them anywhere. So Naruto, cursing his conscience, had decided to wait until they woke up, if only to make sure they were ok.
They had slept soundly all night in the beds that had been put aside for them, but Naruto had been left to sit by their sides in an uncomfortable chair and try to find rest while his spine was realigned. Feeling his neck spasm yet again as his head fell forward involuntarily, Naruto groaned and opened his eyes. The first rays of sunlight had started peeking over the horizon and began illuminating the white room in a pleasant glow. Hearing a noise, Naruto looked across and saw one of the girls beginning to squirm as she woke up.
Standing, Naruto pressed the request button and within a few seconds, a nurse carrying a clipboard wandered in. Seeing Naruto hovering over near a bed, she came across. "Is everything ok?"
Nodding, Naruto pointed at the pink haired girl. "Yeah, I just think this one's about to wake up. She was pretty restless just a moment ago so I thought I'd call you."
Nodding, the nurse began flitting around her patient, checking vital ops and other things as the girl continued to come out of her slumber. Standing back as the nurse gently pushed past him, Naruto watched as her eyes flickered before opening slowly, revealing a sleepy emerald green. Smiling happily to himself, Naruto waited for the nurse to finish her rounds. The girl watched on in confusion before finally speaking up in a soft voice. "Where am I?"
Pausing, the nurse looked down at her with a comforting smile. "You're in the Hargeon Town Hospital. Seems you and your sisters there have had a bit of a rough night."
Turning her head to the side, the girl saw the two peaceful bodies of her siblings as they too began to rouse. Looking back up at the nurse, she frowned. "So... how did me and my sisters get here?"
Stepping back, the nurse motioned at Naruto. "This fine young lad here brought you here."
Turning her eyes downward, they considered the waving blond at the foot of her bed. "Hey there. I'm Naruto. What's your name?"
Frowning for a moment, the girl spoke up hesitantly. "I'm Shelly. So, where did you find us exactly?"
Naruto didn't reply and looked at the nurse who had started busying around the other two sisters. "How about I tell you once you all wake up?"
Softly humming in agreement, the girl turned and looked over at her sisters. The one on the far bed was the first to awaken. She stretched and yawned, not looking like she had suffered any long term affects from being controlled for so long. The last of the three finally came to and mimicked the last motion, stretching and yawning loudly. Looking around groggily, they eventually realised there was a woman dressed in white flitting around them and checking their pulses and other things. Fluttering their eyes to clear their vision, the two of them looked up at the nurse and asked simultaneously, "Where are we?"
Laughing softly, the nurse repeated herself. "You'll find that you are in the Hargeon Town Hospital. You're safe here."
Blinking a few times, the girls said nothing and let the nurse finish her duties. It took another minute or two, but the nurse finally finished up and stood back. "Well, you all seem perfectly ok from what I can see. Both of you seemed to have a bit of a nasty bump on your heads, but it's nothing more than a bruise. We'll keep an eye on you a little longer just to make sure you don't pass out again for some unknown reason, but I can't see why you shouldn't be able to leave today. Best be off now, I'll see you shortly!"
Drifting out the door, Naruto watched the nurse as she left and made her way to the next room over. Turning his eyes back to the girls, he found three sets of eyes staring at him. Feeling a bit awkward, he scratched his cheek and smiled. "Uh, so yeah, I'm Naruto, the guy who found you. I already know Shelly's name, so what are yours?"
The girl in the middle shuffled herself up in the bed to get a better look at the blond. "I'm Sally."
The last of the three simply rolled onto her side and licked her dry lips. "Kelly."
Nodding, Naruto looked them over again. Secretly, he as rather thankful for the little scars they had otherwise he couldn't have told the difference between them. Shelly's face was flawless, not having a single mark on it. Sally had the scar under her right eye and Kelly had it under her left.
Pulling his chair over in front of them, he sat down and sighed. "Well, I guess I should start with a few questions for you. Do you know what happened last night?"
The girls all frowned and exchanged a look amongst themselves. The one on the far right, Shelly, spoke up. "No... not really. All I can remember is feeling really angry, seeing humanoid blurs and getting these really stupid orders from time to time that I could never disobey."
The other two nodded in agreement of the explanation. Nodding, Naruto bit his lip. "Well, alright then. I suppose I should tell you the way I found you wasn't knocked out like described, but rather you found me."
Kelly eyes lit up as she remembered something. "I thought you looked familiar! You're that annoying gnat I nailed with the iron bar! Sorry about that."
Grunting, Naruto subconsciously rubbed the spot. "No damage done. Anyway, the reason you attacked me was because you were under some mind control technique by those Phantom Lord bastards."
The light turned on in all three girls' eyes as they remembered and they growled angrily. "Yeah, I remember that now! Those mutts wanted us for our invisibility cloak! Ooooh, what I'd do if I could get a piece of one of them!"
Chuckling as the three sisters ground their teeth in anger, Naruto shook his head. "No need to worry about that. I already kicked their asses for you. They won't be able to harass you now."
Looking up at Naruto, Shelly raised a delicate eyebrow. "So, that means you were the guy who knocked us out of their control?"
The blond nodded. "Yup. They had an illusion over that barn of theirs and you were freed when I broke it."
All three sets of eyes then began to sparkle as Naruto confessed he was the one who helped them. "So, you saved us from those horrible men? That's just so kind!"
Chuckling embarrassedly, Naruto closed his eyes and scratched his cheek. "Awww, well, I'd do the same for anyone really."
Opening his eyes, he was startled to find all three girls now kneeling before him, hands clasped before them in wonder. "But you saved us! You were the one that rescued us like princesses! Our hero!"
Feeling quite pleased with the way things were going, Naruto looked down at them. "Well, if you really wanna go that far, I suppose so. By the way, should you be out of bed?"
They crawled in closer to him, resting their heads on his lap. "Na-ah, we feel fine. How can we repay you? These are our lives we're talking about here!"
Looking over at the door, Naruto squirmed a little. "It's not that big a deal. Just a thank you is fine for someone like me!"
He then found his hands taken by two soft female sets which were followed up by a pair of female lips pressed onto the back of each of his hands. Looking down, he saw Shelly and Sally in the middle of kissing the backs of his hands. Instantly turning into a puddle of goo, Naruto slumped into his chair as the three girls lavished their affections upon him. When they finally relented, he looked down at them and sent them a lopsided grin. "What was that for?"
The three girls all pouted their lips at the question. "Well duh, we were thanking you!"
Starting to wonder about the time, Naruto shook his head. "I actually meant like with words, but hey this is just as good."
Squealing, they jumped at him and began rubbing their heads into his chest. "Oh Naruto, that is only the lowest of what we should do for you! How many men are there in this world that would risk their own lives for someone they don't even know?"
While the feminine attention was just wonderful, Naruto looked down at the girls attached to his waist and sighed. "That's all well and good for the moment, but I kinda have to go. I have to finish up some business."
Shaking their heads into his jacket, they hummed. "No, don't go yet, we still haven't said thank you enough!"
'What the hell have you got me into Mystogan? This is so awesome.'
Despite feeling rather comfortable now, Naruto pushed them all off and stood up. "Look, that's ok, but I gotta go now. I'm glad I could help, but now that I know you're ok, I'll leave you to it."
"No, wait!"
The girls all jumped up and Naruto quickly sniffed up a glob of red that threatened to spill from his nose. He hadn't really looked before, but now that they were standing before him, he wondered how he had missed their state of dress.
Each had on a flimsy night gown, the middle pulled tight around their waists. The light fabric did very little to hide the clearly naked bodies beneath and Naruto found himself thinking that Jiraiya-sensei would currently be screaming joyously from his grave. After giving them a thorough once over, Naruto took a step back from the extremely forward girls. "Nope, sorry but this just can't wait. Hopefully though I'll see you again soon. Take care!"
Dashing from the room, the girls cried out unhappily but couldn't stop the blond disappearing from sight. As the sisters sighed to themselves, Kelly looked at her twins and smiled. "Isn't he gorgeous?"
Both girls nodded. "He's like perfect! Those whisker things are so cute too."
Sighing dreamily, they made their way back to the beds and laid down in them. Looking over at her sisters, Sally nibbled on her lower lip as she thought about her blond hero. "Once we're out of here, we must go find him, if only to thank him properly."
Receiving positive noises from both girls, she hummed happily to herself. Seeming it was still early morning too, she closed her eyes slowly and let herself drift back to sleep.
XxXxXxX
Having run the whole way to the train station, Naruto had spotted a train in the distance as he left the three sisters. Quickly catching it, he pulled himself aboard and slumped into a seat in the rearmost cart. He grinned to himself as he thought of the impressive image he must have left. Jiraiya would be so proud. Groaning as he stretched out on the far comfier seat than what the hospital provided, the blond yawned and tucked his hands under his head. After that busy night, he was looking very much forward to the little nap that the trip home would provide. Closing his eyes, Naruto let the gentle rocking and rhythmic clacking of the wheels over the tracks lull him to sleep.
XxXxXxX
"...Sir, we're here."
"Mmmph?"
Struggling to open an eye, Naruto looked up to see a uniformed man standing over him. "I said we're here. We have been for five minutes!"
Rubbing his eyes as he sat up, Naruto thanked the man and yawned. Stretching as he stood, Naruto looked around and saw they were indeed in Magnolia Station. Taking a step forward, Naruto then felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he saw the man frowning at him.
"May I see your ticket? I don't remember seeing you get on. I just need to confirm you paid."
'Crap, I needed to pay for this again? I thought Erza covered that last time?' Looking around, Naruto chuckled. "Uh, I came through here with someone called Erza Scarlet a while back. I think she must have paid for me?"
The man's eyes widened and he shivered involuntarily. "I-is that so? Well then, you have yourself a f-fine day!"
Naruto's eyebrows rose at the man's reaction but just put it down to Erza having scared yet another person into submission. Nodding at him, the blond left and made his way out to the station floor. Looking around, Naruto sighed and held his stomach as it let out an unhappy gurgle. Ignoring the amused glances from the passengers around him, Naruto rubbed his tummy and started walking. Having made his mad dash from the last town, he'd totally forgotten breakfast. Smiling to himself as he thought of Mirajane's delicious cooking, Naruto took to a light jog down the streets to make it back to the guild sooner.
XxXxXxX
Walking in through the guild doors, Naruto observed the usual lay about members and made his way to the bar. He got a few calls from some of the other guild members to which he waved at awkwardly. Sliding into a seat at the bench beside Cana, Naruto looked around for the white haired barmaid.
"So how'd things go for you? Catch up with Mysty?"
Looking over at Cana, Naruto nodded. Considering how much of a gossip guild Fairy Tail seemed to be, Naruto wasn't surprised that Cana knew of his trip. "Yeah, I managed to catch him. He didn't know anything interesting though."
Raising the ever present barrel to her lips, Cana took a massive swig of the liquid within before dropping it to the bench. "I'm surprised you managed to. That weird guy is like the hardest person ever to track down. I've never tried, but I know people who have."
Looking around a bit more, Naruto nodded absently. "Yeah, I suppose. You just gotta be fast, that's all. Hey, question, have you seen Mirajane around?"
Smirking, Cana nodded. "Oh, yeah I think I can say that I have."
Raising an eyebrow at the vague answer, Naruto turned to face the brunette. "Mind telling me where?"
Unfortunately for Naruto, a set of sharp fingernails jabbed into his sides and he let out an unexpected shriek as they buried into his flesh. Spinning around, Naruto glared at the now located Mirajane who was laughing into her hands. "What the hell did you do that for?"
Sticking her tongue out at him, Mira walked around to the front of the bench. "That's just payback for making me grubby when you hugged me. Be happy I didn't do something worse."
Grumbling to himself, Naruto conceded she had a point. Still, this wasn't the end of it. No one got a prank over Uzumaki Naruto, no matter how small. Storing away his well natured grudge for later, he looked up at the smirking girl and sighed. "Alright then. Well, I was wondering if you can get me some food while I was here? I haven't eaten since last night and I am like, super hungry."
Dropping her barrel, Cana's eye's twinkled deviously and turned to the mass of humans behind them. "OI, listen up! Naruto's gonna have lunch, but hasn't eaten since last night! Bets on how many bowls he's gonna eat will be taken now!"
Several sizeable sweat beads formed on Naruto's head as he heard a clamber of tables and chairs as people rushed forward. Looking at the group as it rapidly grew, he resisted the urge to slap his face with his palm. "Oi, oi, oi, just what am I here?"
Looking back at Naruto as she took wads of cash, Cana grinned and handed back notes with their guesses on them. "Can you blame us for wanting to place a few bets on your eating habits? If it wasn't for the success of this guild, you'd have eaten us out of house and home. So just hush and get started on what you do best. I'll even give you a cut from what is collected."
Sending the girl a flat look, Naruto just shook his head as she called out again for any last minute bets. Seeing a bowl of warm, steaming soup before him though made him forget the rabble behind him. Smiling up at the barmaid, Naruto sent her a thankful nod. "You're the best Mira."
Laughing, the girl just clasped her hands in front of her waist. "Oh, it's nothing! I mean, hopefully I'll make a few Jewels off of you, so do your best for your favourite Mira!"
Naruto's eyes thinned as he realised Mirajane was just as into this as the rest of the guild. Ah well, free food is free food, no matter what angle you look at it from. Grabbing the spoon beside the bowl, Naruto tucked in.
XxXxXxX
Sighing as he finally set down the unlucky spoon, Naruto patted his distended stomach as he breathed a sigh of relief. That had been his first serious eating session since arriving in this weird world and didn't it feel good. Plates were stacked up all around him and through the blissful haze of a full tummy, Naruto could hear the last of the tallies being counted. The group had thinned significantly as over half the group left once Naruto passed his twelfth serving. The food had continued flowing though and after his nineteenth bowl of delicious who-knows-what's, he had finally stopped his feasting. Opening an eye a bit, Naruto watched as Cana greedily counted the earnings she had made off of him. Granted she had to fork out a bit to the victors, but there was a considerable amount left over for her.
Feeling him watching her, the girl looked over at Naruto and smiled gaily. "Well now, thank you so very much for that! I won't have to go on another job for a month thanks to this. Here, you can have this."
Sliding Naruto a relatively pathetic amount, she went back to counting the notes in her hands as Naruto raised an eyebrow at his own amount. Coughing, he reached out and tapped her shoulder. "Uh, don't you think I should get a little more than this? I mean, I was the one doing all the work and all..."
Chuckling, Cana deftly pulled her bikini open just enough so that she could slide everything in between the flesh and fabric. "So sorry, but that's all I can spare. I got my drinking habit I gotta fuel! You can come try get some more though if you dare..."
As she lifted the fabric, Naruto tried to catch a glimpse of something interesting but failed to spot anything before the fabric snapped back into place. Growling, Naruto narrowed his eyes and brought his hands up in the Ram seal. "Bad move, taunting a guy who can turn into a chick."
Naruto then went up in a puff of smoke and out of it dived his female counterpart, tackling Cana to the floor and beginning a wrestling match with the tall woman in an attempt to grab the money hiding within her bikini top. The thin crowd quickly thickened again as the members of the guild realised what was going on; the males cheering them on in the hope of seeing something naughty, the girls just keen to see a good fight.
It didn't last too long though as Naruto easily overpowered Cana and slapped her hands to the floor and sat down on her stomach. "Now, are you gonna give me what I earned or will I have to do something drastic?"
Looking up at Naruto, the brunette smirked and swayed her chest around a bit. "Grab it yourself if you want it that badly."
Cana then started laughing, thinking she had called his bluff but shrieked when a hand slipped under her top and grasped the money. Looking up with a furious blush on her face, she eyed up Mirajane who was counting through the money she had just grabbed. "M-M-Mirajane! That's cheating!"
Humming happily, she pulled out a few hundred Jewels which she pocketed. She then slipped the remaining amount back under Cana's top and smiled as the girl squealed again. "There you go Naruto, I got your cut. You can let her go now."
The blond girl stared up at her vacantly, not quite believing what she had just seen. Going up in a puff of smoke, Naruto returned to his original form and stood up. Cana just grumbled something from the floor and pulled herself to her feet, dusting herself down and returning to her keg. Turning to the shocked group behind them, Mirajane sent them a disarming smile and a wave. "You can go back to your seats now everyone. The show is over."
There were several grunts of acknowledgement and the guild began dispersing slowly as they all went back to sit down at their chairs and think over what just happened. Turning back from them, Mira smiled as she remembered something for Naruto. Walking up to him, she rested a gentle hand on his shoulder and reached down her top. Looking up, Naruto's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, a little book was withdrawn and dropped onto the counter in front of him.
"Here, we'll make good time of this moment of peace. You can write your next page!"
Looking up at the girl despairingly, Naruto's eyebrows crinkled together and he began whining pathetically. "But Mira-chan, I don't wanna! Can't you just write in it for me or something?"
Shaking her head, Mira grabbed Naruto's shoulder and pushed him down into his seat as he tried to rise. "Nope! Then it wouldn't be your diary. Now, I won't let you move until you write me at least ten sentences!"
Trying again, Naruto found himself firmly pressed back into the seat. Looking at the little book with great distaste, Naruto picked up the pen and quickly scratched down a few things. Looking up at his captor, he tried a smile. "Can I go now?"
Looking over his shoulder, Mirajane had a quick count. "Nope! That's only eight sentences."
Grumbling, Naruto scribbled some more things down before slapping the book closed. "There, done. Can I go now?"
Rolling her eyes, Mira nodded. "Yes Naruto, you may leave now."
Smiling, Naruto nodded and stood up. "Lovely. Now, can you tell me where old man Makarov is?"
Placing a finger to her chin in thought, Mirajane looked up at the roof. "I believe he had to leave on short notice for some council meeting yesterday. He should be back some time tomorrow."
"Ah." Looking around, Naruto then noticed a distinct lack of high pitched screaming. "Uh, so where would Natsu or Gray be? Or any of the other regulars?"
Frowning slightly, Mirajane crossed her arms. "Natsu, Happy and Lucy all decided they would take an S-Class job without permission so they are in massive trouble with the Master. Erza and Gray went to get them. Hopefully they'll be back today, if not, tomorrow."
Raising an eyebrow, Naruto looked down at the girl. "Alright then... what is an S-Class mission anyway? I've heard of S-Class mages and stuff, but I don't know any details."
Looking up at her taller counterpart, Mirajane blinked. "Oh, don't you? Well, an S-Class mage is someone who has taken a test to see if they are worthy of being S ranked. Mages of this level are not only powerful, but very smart. S-Class missions are usually very difficult and dangerous, involving great amounts of strength and thinking. Of everyone here, only myself, Erza, Mystogan, Laxus and one other have S ranked clearance."
Grinning, Naruto pointed a thumb at himself. "Ha, I could pretty much be one then! I ain't no mage, but I managed to beat Mystogan so that's gotta make me good enough to be S-Class."
The woman looked up disbelievingly. "You managed to actually beat him? What about him putting you to sleep?"
Naruto grinned. "Yeah, I can cancel that. I'm just that awesome."
Pursing her lips, Mirajane considered the teen before her. "Well... if it is indeed true you managed to beat him, you may have the qualities needed to become one, but first you need to be a part of a guild to be recognised as one. If you really wanted, you could join this one..."
She let the statement hang in the air as she quietly hoped that he would take up the offer. Naruto however just frowned and sighed. "Look, I know it's a great honour and all to be asked to join, but I don't wanna go joining something I'll probably be leaving soon, you know?"
Feeling a strange pit drop in her stomach, Mira tried to swallow a lump in her throat. "T-true... well, I suppose I should get back to work. Those dishes won't clean themselves!"
Brushing past him, Naruto looked on in confusion as Mirajane began to noisily busy herself with the mess on the bench top. Something odd definitely happened with the pleasant girl's mood just then, but for the life of him Naruto couldn't figure it out. Casting a perturbed look at the woman, Naruto turned and made his way out of the guild. Looking up at the sky once outside, the blond hoped Mirajane would work out whatever it was that was troubling her. Sighing, Naruto scratched the back of his head and looked around. Looking into the distance, he guessed he might as well train until the Master came home.
Channelling some chakra into his legs, Naruto jumped high above the crowd and alighted on the house roofs opposite the guild and began running.
XxXxXxX
Training went as well as it could by himself. Stretches, strengthening exercises and a couple of spars with several clones kept things moving until about midday. He couldn't help but wish Erza or Natsu were here to liven things up though. Fighting yourself was only so much fun. It was a warm day so Naruto had discarded his jacket early on in the training session to leave him in a simple black, body hugging undershirt. As he made to retrieve his top though, the blond paused as he heard some voices nearing him.
"Where is he? Mira said that he seems to like training out here so you'd think he'd be easy to find."
"Jet, does it really matter? I mean, it's just a little race."
"No! This is important to me! Levy-chan, you don't understand what's at stake here."
Straightening up, Naruto rubbed his brow with his forearm as he looked over to the three people as they pushed through a bush. Raising an arm, Naruto called out to them. "Oi, I'm over here."
Hearing him call, team Shadow Gear looked over before Jet dashed ahead of the group. Skidding to a stop in front of Naruto, he pointed a finger at the boy and looked down his nose at him. "Naruto! I'm here to challenge you to a race! I need to protect my title of the fastest mage in the guild!"
Dropping an eyebrow, Naruto grabbed his water bottle and took a sip. "Well it's safe. I haven't joined if you haven't noticed."
The orange haired teen faulted slightly before bringing himself back up to full height. "I don't care. I want to test you out to see if you really are as fast as you claim."
Shrugging, Naruto took another mouthful of water before swinging his arms around. "Eh, why not. It'll be a good warm down."
Grinding his teeth together, Jet narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying this race will be a simple warm down?"
By this stage Droy and Levy had reached his side and were looking up at him worriedly. "Jet, man, honestly it's not that big of a deal. Chill out for a moment and let your speed do the talking."
Taking a breath, Jet listened to his friend and calmed himself. Breathing out slowly, he opened his eyes and levelled a gaze at the blond before him. "Alright then, a race it is. Do you have anything in mind?"
Looking around, Naruto considered the terrain but then shrugged. "I dunno, everything around here is too close to be considered a real race. How about a run from here to Hargeon Town? That's not too far and I actually know where it is."
Hearing the proposed distance made Jet start to sweat. It wasn't that far by train, but to walk the distance would take a good half a day. Not one to back down from his challenge though, Jet swallowed his nerves and sent the blond a grin. "Fine! That'll be a good distance. You ready?"
Levy however was a little more shocked and looked at the two with wide eyes. "You can't be serious can you? That's ages away!"
Laughing, Naruto ruffled the girl's hair, oblivious to the instant looks of death he received from the two males. "Nah, we'll be back in about half an hour I'd say. That is, if Jet's as fast as he thinks..."
He looked over at the mage and grinned as he saw him puff his chest out indignantly. "I won't dignify that with a response. Ready?"
Chuckling, Naruto lowered his center of gravity and bounced on his toes. "When you are."
Glancing over, Jet called out to Levy. "If you would count us down please?"
Holding a hand to her chest, Levy looked at them worriedly, but nodded never the less. "Uh, ok, well, three, two, one, take off!"
Before she had even finished the final word, two clouds of dust exploded up from where the two teens were once standing. Waving their hands in front of their faces and coughing as the dirt invaded their lungs, the two remaining people ran from the cloud and looked out with tearing eyes. Letting out a breath of amazement as her vision cleared, Levy's eyes widened as she saw a rising plume of dust rapidly disappearing into the distance. "Whoa..."
Rubbing his eyes alongside her, Droy also watched on in shock. "I... don't think I've ever seen Jet run that fast before."
Simply nodding, Levy just watched as the clouds dissipated as the men disappeared into the distance.
XxXxXxX
Dashing along beside Jet, Naruto couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter. "Damn, you weren't kidding when you said you were the fastest! This is awesome!"
Jet however was far more focused on maintaining the speed he was currently travelling at than talking. He had never been pushed as far as this by anyone ever before. What's more was that this new guy was more than happily keeping up with him. Growling internally, Jet channelled more magic into his legs and shot forward in another burst of speed.
Watching the orange haired boy begin to draw away, Naruto grinned. He hadn't been expecting him to put up as good a fight as he was, but it was incredibly fun. Drawing level with him again, Naruto called out to him. "So, still think you can beat me?"
"Course I do!"
Grinning, Naruto let Jet draw ahead once again as Hargeon Town appeared in the distance. A train shot past them on the tracks at a blinding speed as they passed it heading back to Magnolia. Looking over his shoulder at it, Naruto chuckled. 'Definitely sitting on that for a bit on the way back.'
Reaching the train station a minute later, both teens dug their heels into the ground and began skidding towards the building. Jet spun over so his toes were digging in and began running against the ground, kicking up stones and dirt as he fought to reverse his motion. Naruto instead jumped into the air, landing solidly on the stone wall and kicked off it powerfully, instantly regaining all his speed as Jet struggled to catch up.
Dipping his head low, Naruto shot forward to catch up with the train that had passed them earlier. It took a little bit, but he drew within range of it and jumped high over it, alighting on the roof. Wiping his cheek, Naruto turned and looked back over to see where Jet was at. There was a dust cloud steadily drawing closer and Naruto smirked when he saw the teens face. "Oi, that's cheating!"
Holding his hands out, Naruto shrugged and shouted back, "No it's not, I was just waiting for you!"
Jet growled at the taunt and summoned up every bit of magic he had to shoot past the train at a very impressive speed. Raising a hand to his eyes, Naruto whistled as he rapidly drew ahead. Jogging down the roof towards the front of the train, Naruto kicked off it and landed solidly at the front of the engine, his legs blurring into action and drawing him away towards Jet.
XxXxXxX
Dashing back towards Levy and Droy, Jet grinned victoriously as he looked around. That try hard Naruto wasn't anywhere and to top it all off, Levy would finally recognise him as the best! Life was good.
Skidding to a stop before them, Jet let his magic drop and he instantly collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving after all the energy he had to exert. Looking up at his team mates, he gave them a shaky thumbs up as Naruto jogged up to them. "H-ha! Looks like I w-won!"
Droy gave him a weak high five and patted him on the back. "Sure did! I didn't know who was gonna win that."
Turning to look at Naruto, Droy frowned a bit when he realised Naruto was only mildly out of breath. "Why aren't you tired?"
Laughing, Naruto scratched his cheek and sighed. "Um, I'm kind of a stamina freak. There are only like one or two people from home who can keep up with me. Jet did awesome to do that."
Patting his mate on the back again, Droy nodded. "You're damn right he is. No one can match his speed."
Laughing, Naruto shook his head. "You can't think about it like that. There will always be someone who will come along and be faster, stronger, more agile or more anything than you. You just gotta keep training so that it happens less."
Looking to the sky, Naruto noted it was now close to mid-afternoon. Looking down at the team, Naruto gave them a wave. "Well, I gotta go eat. I'll see you at the guild yeah?"
Looking up from rubbing Jet's back, Levy frowned. "Why don't you just walk with us?"
Laughing, Naruto brought his hands up in a cross. "Cause I'm already there."
And then in a puff of smoke, he was gone.
XxXxXxX
Blinking as he regained the memories mid meal, Naruto chuckled and tucked back into his food. "So Jet did beat me. Nice."
XxXxXxX
Stretching out on a table top, Naruto looked over at Cana as the girl studied a row of cards before her. "So have you found anything?"
Slapping down another card and flipping one over near the center of the group, she grumbled something before speaking up. "Naruto, dude, I already said that if I divine any information on Mystogan, I'll tell you the second I find it!"
Groaning, Naruto rolled over onto his stomach and kicked his feet in the air. "I just wish Makarov would come home already. He'd know where Mystogan is."
Rolling her eyes, Cana shook her head. "No, he wouldn't. Hell, with how secretive he is, I don't even know if Mystogan knows where Mystogan is."
Trying to work out that sentence, Naruto frowned and gave the brunette a minutes worth of silence. Towards the end of it though, Cana growled and flipped her cards all over. "Damn this! I can't find him anywhere and no, don't look at me like that. I've tried seven times already and got the same answer. Naruto, I tried, so now pay up."
Sighing dejectedly, Naruto handed over her some of the money he won from her. Grinning happily, she pocketed the Jewels for later and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Awww, come on now, don't cry! Here, have a keg with me."
Looking up at her, Naruto gave her a flat look. "I'm not crying and why would I want to drink that poison you seem to feed off?"
Grinning happily, Cana reached around behind her. "I thought you'd never ask. You see, being a part of this guild means you gotta deal with some crazy things. This is my way of dealing, and I love to share. So please, drink up and enjoy the moment with me."
Finding a mug of Cana's powerful drink in his hand, Naruto looked at it skeptically. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn that the liquid was actually eating into the wooden cup. Feeling a hand pat his back, Naruto looked up at the devious woman. "Come now, it ain't that bad. It's just like losing your virginity! Burns like all hell first time around but gets better from there."
Naruto's eyes widened and he looked down at the broth before him. He hadn't even thought to compare something like that to this, but found it probably wasn't too far from the truth. "Come now, drink! Unless, you're scared that is?"
Growling, Naruto snapped a look up at her. Glaring at the drink, Naruto threw it to his lips and chugged the whole lot in one mouthful. Finishing it off, he let out a loud cough and smacked his chest a few times. He had been ready for the burn, but not quite as intensely as that. He did however earn a clap from his companion as she regarded him with a strange look of respect. "Well now, you gotta be the first person I've ever seen destroy a cup of that first time around without spewing it up everywhere. I'm impressed."
Naruto imagined that if bat piss had a taste, this would be it. The warm burn in his stomach however was rather pleasant and he smacked his lips a few times. "That was disgusting. Got any more?"
Laughing loudly, Naruto found his cup refilled. "Naruto my boy, I'd say we are gonna be good friends."
Hiccupping, Naruto looked into his cup as he found it suspiciously empty again. When he found out who was drinking all his stuff, he was gonna bring down all hell on their heads. It was quickly refilled by Cana though and all thoughts of bodily harm disappeared from the blond's mind. Thanking the woman, Naruto began to sip on it again.
It was strange being drunk because Naruto had the fox in his gut to contend with. Jiraiya had once tried to get the boy blind beyond comprehension, but the rate at which the alcohol was burned off was staggering. However, whatever this stuff was that Cana was giving him was powerful. If he guessed correctly, he wagered that it was probably one hundred and twenty five percent alcoholic. Despite this though, it didn't stop the buzz from fading rapidly once he stopped for a break.
Looking over to the woman who started all this, Naruto raised his cup to her. "So, how come you don't seem drunk? You drink this piss daily by the boatload, and yet you don't even have a flush to show of it! What's your secret?"
Grinning, the brunette raised her cup in return. "Practice my dear. When you've been drinking as long as me, you have a pretty good tolerance for it."
Nodding, Naruto went to take another sip but found his cup empty. Slamming it down on the bench top, he growled and looked around. "Alright, who the hell keeps drinking all my stuff?"
The surrounding mages all laughed and shook their heads while Cana just poured him some more. "That would be you. You just don't realise it."
Finding it full again, Naruto relaxed. "Oh, ok. Well, tell him I'll fight him if he does it again."
Rolling her eyes, Cana just nodded. "Sure thing champ."
Yawning, Naruto looked around and sighed. "You know what? I don't really wanna leave here. It's nice. No wars, no fighting... well, nothing too serious, and it's just... nice."
Looking over at him from the bench, Mira's ears pricked as she heard him start talking about his home. Wiping a cup down one last time, she placed it on the drying rack and walked over. "So why don't you, Naruto?"
Sighing, Naruto leaned back on the table and dropped his mug on the top. "Well... there's like this super freak who's bent on controlling like, the whole world and stuff. I can't just let that fly so I gotta go home. Not to mention I got this one friend who's super stupid and trying to kill Konoha. I gotta beat the hell out of him so I can put some sense back in his head. Besides, all my other friends are there and I miss them."
Cana raised an eyebrow but stayed silent as Mira sat down beside him. "Well... if you do go home and fix all that, might you come back? I mean, I know a few people who'd miss you here..."
Smiling to himself, Naruto looked down at the girl as the haze over his mind lifted. "Yeah, I'd like that. I just gotta try fix this stuff at home before I can come back here, you know?"
Smiling sadly, Mirajane nodded. "I guess so. Do you know how long it might take?"
Rubbing behind his neck as the last of the effects of alcohol left his system, Naruto groaned. "Awww, I really don't know. Not too long hopefully, maybe only a couple of years?"
"Oh, ok." Falling silent, Mirajane just took to looking at Naruto as he yawned again. Scratching his head, he looked down at himself and sighed. "Well, I better have a shower and get ready for bed."
Standing, he went to walk but was stopped by Cana. "Hey, if you wanna actually sleep in a real bed tonight, you can stay at my place."
She topped the suggestion off with a sexy wink. Naruto instantly started blushing all shades of red as his mind went into overdrive. Oh the possibilities...
Trailing off as she started laughing at him, Cana sent him a less sexy and bit more of a wily wink. "Bah, I was just kidding. I got a spare. It's comfier than the one in here. However, if you are thinking of that though, I wouldn't say no to a cuddle..."
Sending her a wink of his own, Naruto turned his back on her. "And how would you like that cuddle? As a male or female? I assure you, either works fine with me."
Hearing the girl splutter as she took another mouthful from her mug, Naruto wandered away with a laugh and chalked one up to himself.
The morning light slipped through the window above and slowly filled the room with its soft, inviting light. As it slowly spread its warm tendrils across the room, it finally alighted on Naruto's face and began to wake him. Moaning softly to himself, he pulled one eyelid open and looked around the room. It was a fairly sparse area, the walls a simple white with a plain set of shelves in the corner holding a few old tatty books. Stretching in the bed, Naruto pulled himself up and found himself looking down at a light pink blanket that was dotted all over with slightly darker pink spots.
Raising an eyebrow as he pulled his legs from under it, Naruto hadn't expected Cana would be one of those kind of girls. Stretching as the sunlight warmed his back; he stood up and walked out through the door. Wandering out, he found Cana in a set of blue pajamas with little gold stars all over them. She looked up at him with a smile as she chewed on a piece of toast. "Morning sunshine, sleep well?"
Nodding sleepily, Naruto stifled a yawn and scratched his head. "Yeah, it was great thanks. Though I wasn't expecting a pink blanket of all things in your house."
Shrugging, the woman took another bite. "Eh, I got it as a present from a friend years ago. Not quite my style, but I couldn't throw it out, so it lives in there now."
Nodding, Naruto reached out for the piece of toast that was offered to him. Taking a bite, he looked over at the woman and frowned. Seeing his face, Cana leaned in. "What's wrong?"
Coming back from his thoughts, Naruto blinked several times and looked up into her eyes. "Uh, nothing much, I was just surprised actually that you cover up more when you sleep than during the day, that's all."
Rolling her eyes, Cana chuckled. "Yeah, I get that. Though if it helps put things back in character, I got nothing on underneath."
She chuckled as Naruto then tried to blow the piece of toast he was chewing on back out his nose. Coughing, he managed to swallow it and sighed once done. "You're an unusual girl, you know that?"
Laughing happily, she nodded. "Yeah, I get that too. But hey, it keeps life interesting."
Smiling, Naruto finished off the last mouthful. "It sure does. At least I don't feel too weird now just walking out in my boxers."
Standing, the tall woman collected the plates. "Eh, I don't mind. I'm actually surprised Gray is the only one who wanders around like that. You could start a trend or something."
Shaking his head, Naruto grabbed the cup of milk placed before him and chugged it. Wiping his mouth, he looked up at the woman. "Nah, I like my orange too much. Brings out the colour in my eyes, ya know?"
Turning to head back to his room, he then felt a hand pat his backside. Spinning around, Cana was leaning back from the deed with a naughty grin on her face. "Brings out other parts of you too."
Raising an eyebrow, Naruto looked from his bum to her hand. She just sent him a wink and pointed at his room. "Off you go now. Don't wanna be late getting to the guild."
Shrugging, the blond just accepted that he was more awesome than he gave himself credit for and wandered off to get dressed.
XxXxXxX
Standing out the front of her house, Cana locked the door and slipped the key into her pocket. Turning to look down at Naruto, she smiled. "So, shall we head on over?"
Seeing him frowning though, she walked down. "What's wrong?"
Casting an eye over at her, he clicked his tongue. "Something doesn't feel right. Everything's too quiet."
Coming to stand beside him, she looked around and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Normally there are heaps of people running around here by now."
Humming distractedly, Naruto began walking at a brisk pace. "Come on, let's see if anyone else has noticed."
XxXxXxX
The two of them looked up in horror at the sight before them. A crowd had gathered around the base of the guild, but it wasn't hard to see what was wrong. The entire guild building had been punctured through with over ten massively thick iron bars, the beams each easily being several meters in thickness and close to twenty five in length. Staring up at them in shock, Cana looked around and saw Mirajane standing back, a downcast look on her face. Running over to her, she grabbed the smaller girl's shoulders and shook her gently. "Mirajane, tell me, who did this?"
Looking up into Cana's brown eyes, her bottom lip trembled slightly. "Phantom Lord."